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CIRCULAR  No.  24 


CORNELL    UNIVERSITY 

AGRICULTURAL   EXPERIMENT   STATION    OF 

THE  COLLEGE   OF  AGRICULTURE 

Department  of  Farm  Management 


SOME    SUGGESTIONS    FOR    CITY    PERSONS    WHO    DESIRE 

TO  FARM 

G.  F.  Warren 

This  circular  is  prepared  to  make  a  few  suggestions  to  the  considerable 
number  of  inexperienced  persons  who  are  making  farm  investments. 
For  a  number  of  years  large  numbers  of  such  persons  have  been  writing 
to  the  College  of  Agriculture  for  advice.  It  is  not  often  possible,  in  the 
limits  of  a  letter,  to  fully  answer  the  questions  asked,  nor  will  it  be  possible 
in  a  circular,  but  a  few  of  the  more  common  questions  and  mistakes  may 
be  discussed.  The  writer  is  well  aware  that  the  facts  and  opinions  here 
presented  are  not  popular,  but  he  believes  that  if  carefully  considered 
they  may  save  many  misfortunes  that  are  sometimes  tragedies.  It  is 
not  the  purpose  of  this  circular  to  persuade  any  one  to  farm  or  not  to  farm. 
The  aim  is  to  give  a  better  understanding  of  what  may  be  expected  from 
a  farm,  and  to  suggest  the  safer  ways  of  procedure  for  those  who  are 
starting  farming.  The  facts  here  presented  are  based  on  records  of  large 
numbers  of  farms. 

Profits  to  be  expected  in  farming.  Farming  is  a  very  conservative 
business  and,  like  ah  conservative  enterprises,  it  gives  conservative  returns. 
Compared  with  large  city  enterprises,  farming  is  a  very  small  business  and, 
like  other  small  enterprises,  too  much  should  not  be  expected  from  it. 
It  is  a  very  complicated  business  and  requires  considerable  experience 
for  success.  For  one  who  knows  how  to  farm,  it  offers  a  wholesome  living 
and  a  modest  profit. 

In  the  best  townships  in  Jefferson  county,  in  a  year  fully  as  good  as 
the  average,  the  average  farmer  and  his  family  with  a  capital  of  $9006 
made  $1155  above  the  business  expenses  of  the  farm.  In  addition  they 
had  the  use  of  a  house  and  some  farm  products.  The  houses  are  nearly 
all  heated  by  stoves,  with  wood  that  comes  from  the  farm.  Usually  not 
more  than  one  stove  is  kept  burning  besides  the  one  in  the  kitchen. 
Probably  less  than  one  in  a  hundred  of  the  farmhouses  has  a  bathroom. 
The  majority  of  the  houses  are  such  as  would  rent  for  $10  to  $20  a  month 
in  a  village.  In  this  county  the  farms  usually  furnish  potatoes  and 
milk  and  some  vegetables,  eggs,  and  meat  for  family  use.  The  $1155 
represents  the  amount  that  the  average  family  had  for  living,  aside  from 
what  the  farm  furnished,  and  for  saving.  This  should  not  be  compared 
with  city  wages  because  the  farmer  has  capital  invested.  At  5  per  cent 
the  use  of  the  capital  is  worth  $450,  and  unpaid 'farm  work  done  by 
members  of  the  family  was  valued  at  $96,  so  that  the  pay  for  the  farmer's 


30  Circular  No.  24 

work,  or  his  labor  income,  was  $609,  besides  the  use  of  a  house  and  some 
farm  products.  This  is  considerably  above  the  average  for  the  State, 
but  is  exceeded  in  some  townships  in  the  State.  In  16  townships  in 
three  counties  of  1988  farmers  63  made  labor  incomes  of  over  $2000, 
that  is,  made  5  per  cent  interest  on  the  capital  and  had  over  $2000  besides 
the  use  of  a  house  and  some  farm  products  as  pay  for  the  year's  labor. 
Farming  does  not  often  give  what  in  the  city  are  considered  large  profits, 
nor  is  there  so  great  danger  of  large  losses.  Bulletins  295  and  349  of  this 
station  give  some  of  the  variations  in  profits  made  by  different  farmers. 

A  common  wage  in  New  York  for  experienced  hired  men  is  $30  a  month, 
with  house;  land  for  a  garden,  firewood,  and  a  quart  or  two  of  milk  a  day. 
In  some  of  the  more  prosperous  parts  of  the  State,  $35  is  often  paid. 
Very  rarely  does  a  hired  man  get  more  _than  $40  by  the  year. 
Unmarried  men  are  paid  about  $5  a  month  less  than  married  men,  but  are 
given  their  board.  Inexperienced  men  are,  of  course,  worth  much  less. 
The  above  figures  may  give  some  idea  of  the  profits  in  farming. 

The  glowing  stories  about  farming  that  are  told  in  many  publications 
have  led  to  very  wrong  conclusions  as  to  the  profits  to  be  expected.  A 
recent  article  that  is  typical  stated  that  the  farmer  made  $2400  a  year 
from  one  enterprise  and  that  he  made  120  per  cent  on  the  capital.  But 
no  allowance  was  made  for  labor  of  men,  horses  or  machinery.  Deprecia- 
tion, taxes,  and  insurance  on  buildings  were  omitted,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
multitude  of  miscellaneous  expenses. 

To  call  the  difference  between  the  value  of  the  feed  and  the  returns 
from  live-stock  profit,  is  just  as  inaccurate  as  it  would  be  to  call  the 
difference  between  the  cost  of  leather  and  the  value  of  shoes  the  profit 
of  a  shoe  factory.     This  error  is  very  common  in  farm  publications. 

Popular  publications  are  of  course  looking  for  striking  things.  Head- 
lines stating  that  John  Jones  and  his  son  rose  at  five  o'clock,  milked  the 
cows,  worked  in  the  fields  all  day,  and  milked  the  cows  again  at  night, 
and  made  a  dollar  and  a  half  apiece  by  so  doing,  would  probably  not  add 
to  the  circulation  any  more  than  would  the  statement  that  merchant 
So-and-so  went  to  the  store  in  the  morning,  stayed  there  all  day  except 
for  a  hurried  lunch,  returned  home  for  supper,  and  that  by  so  doing  he 
made  enough  to  pay  his  modest  living  expenses.  Publications  are  usually 
not  looking  for  the  ordinary,  they  are  looking  for  the  unusual;  that  is, 
for  the  news  —  and  the  news  is  sometimes  highly  colored. 

Compared  with  city  work,  farming  is  a  very  much  better  business  than 
many  farmers  think  it  to  be.  It  is  a  much  poorer  business  than  many 
city  persons  think  it  to  be.  At  one  of  the  Farmers'  Week  lectures,  the 
writer  gave  the  results  from  some  of  the  most  successful  farms  in  the  State. 
After  the  talk,  an  intelligent  farmer  stated  that  he  did  not  believe  any 
farm  ever  made  so  much  money.  An  equally  intelligent  city  business 
man  criticized  the  talk  even  more  severely  because  it  did  not  show  profits 
enough. 

How  big  a  business  is  a  farm  ?  The  following  statement  from  a  recent 
letter  is  typical : 

"  I  want  to  buy  a  farm  and  go  to  fanning  scientifically.  I  have  always 
had  a  love  for  outdoor  life  and  find  that  my  present  occupation  is  too 
confining  for  my  health.     I  have  about  $5000  and  have  thought  that  you 


Some  Suggestions  for  City  Persons  Who  Desire  to  Farm    31 

might  possibly  know  of  some  good  graduate  of  the  College  of  Agriculture 
who  would  act  as  superintendent  for  me  for  a  share  of  the  profits.  We 
would  prefer  a  married  man  so  that  he  could  board  the  help." 

Very  few  farmers  who  have  only  $5000  invested  in  the  business  employ 
much  if  any  hired  labor.  In  fact,  a  farm  with  this  amount  of  capital  is 
usually  a  one-man  farm.  The  graduate  of  a  college  who  would  act  as 
superintendent  of  this  farm  should  be  able  to  do  all  the  work  himself, 
if  not  interfered  with  too  much  by  the  owner.  There  would  usually  be 
nothing  left  for  the  owner  to  do  and  no  other  hired  help  to  board. 

A  farmer  running  such  a  farm  would  ordinarily  make  a  labor  income  of 
about  $350.  A  person  who  is  not  so  vitally  interested  would  not  be  likely 
to  run  the  farm  so  well.  It  takes  more  ability  to  run  such  a  place  and  make 
any  profit  than  it  does  to  run  a  larger  enterprise  successfully.  A  graduate 
of  a  college  of  agriculture  who  has  the  experience  and  the  ability  that 
are  necessary  to  make  a  profit  on  such  a  farm  is  a  man  who  can  earn  $800 
to  $1200  a  year  in  any  one  of  several  different  kinds  of  work.  In  short, 
this  represents  too  small  a  business  to  make  it  pay  to  hire  a  graduate. 

A  few  farmers  who  use  this  amount  of  capital  are  doing  well,  but  they 
are  the  exception.  A  considerable  number  who  know  how  to  farm  are 
doing  well  when  the  owned  capital  is  not  more  than  $5000  and  when 
nearly  as  much  more  is  borrowed.  It  is  not  safe  for  any  but  experienced 
farmers  to  be  so  heavily  in  debt.  Another  way  of  obtaining  more  capital 
is  to  be  a  renter.  Many  renters  with  less  than  $5000  of  their  own  are  doing 
well. 

Judging  by  the  profits  that  farmers  make,  5  per  cent  of  the  capital  would 
be  very  high  pay  for  a  manager.  It  will  be  seen  at  once  that  no  small 
business  would  justify  one  in  employing  a  graduate  of  an  agricultural 
college  as  a  manager.  Usually  it  requires  a  wise  investment  of  $20,000 
to  $40,000  in  order  to  justify  one  in  employing  a  really  good  graduate  of 
a  college  of  agriculture  who  has  had  good  farm  experience  and  good  business 
experience. 

A  general  or  dairy  farm  with  this  amount  of  capital  will  usually  employ 
three  to  six  men.  A  good  manager  of  such  a  farm  does  not  conduct  his 
business  from  an  office ;  he  should  be  at  work  with  the  men  and  should  do 
as  much  farm  work  as  any  other  man  on  the  place.  No  industry  can 
afford  a  non- working  foreman  for  so  few  workers. 

In  sixteen  townships  in  three  counties,  the  23  most  profitable  farms 
selling  market  milk  at  wholesale  had  an  average  capital  of  $19,728.  Their 
average  area  was  257  acres,  of  which  154  acres  were  in  harvested  crops. 
These  farms  kept  an  average  of  32  cows,  besides  young  stock.  These 
large  profitable  farms  employed  an  average  of  3.2  men,  or  a  little  over 
two  men  besides  the  farmer.  With  this  amount  of  help,  the  stock  was 
cared  for  and,  in  addition,  enough  cash  crops  were  raised  so  that  over 
one  third  of  the  income  came  from  the  sale  of  crops.  The  crops  sold  for 
enough  to  pay  the  entire  feed  bill  and  have  left  an  average  of  $1553  per 
farm.  For  a  business  of  this  size,  inexperienced  persons  often  employ 
two  or  three  times  as  many  men. 

Farming  a  slow  business.  The  returns  from  money  invested  in  farming 
are  very  slow  compared  with  most  enterprises.  Farming  is  a  family  busi- 
ness. The  returns  from  some  investments  do  not  even  come  in  the 
farmer's  lifetime;  they  are  made  for  his  sons. 


32  Circular  No.  24 

Farming  is  not  a  factory  process.  It  depends  on  living  things.  Many  of 
these  things  cannot  be  hurried.  If  one  starts  to  improve  his  soil,  he  will 
not  get  far  until  he  has  carried  out  one  full  rotation.  This  usually  takes 
six  years  on  the  dairy  or  live-stock  farms.  At  least  a  second  rotation 
must  be  carried  out  before  the  full  returns  come  in.  The  successful  live- 
stock breeder  takes  time.  The  favorite  cow  may  persist  in  raising  bull 
calves,  so  that  the  herd  is  not  soon  replaced  by  her  daughters.  An  invest- 
ment in  tile  drains  is  a  good  thing  for  many  farms,  but  we  do  not  expect 
them  to  be  paid  for  at  once. 

The  man  who  plants  an  apple  orchard  has  a  long-time  investment. 
Orchard  surveys  of  four  counties  published  by  this  station  indicate  that 
the  average  apple  orchard  does  not  yield  much  until  it  is  over  twenty 
years  old.  The  maximum  production  is  reached  at  forty  to  fifty  years  of 
age.  There  are  varieties  that  bear  younger,  but  they  also  die  younger. 
The  old  standards,  such  as  the  Baldwin,  are  long-lived  trees  that  have  a 
long  youth  as  well  as  a  long  life. 

So  it  is  with  nearly  all  the  best  farm  investments.  Returns  come  slowly. 
Many  an  amateur  at  farming  starts  out  with  too  rosy  views,  and  becomes 
discouraged  at  the  expense  and  time  before  things  have  had  a  chance 
to  pay. 

Cost  of  living  on  farms.  Approximately  half  of  the  food  of  farm  families 
is  furnished  by  the  farm  at  a  cost  much  below  what  it  costs  in  cities.  The 
purchased  food  usually  costs  as  much  as,  or  more  than,  it  does  in  cities. 
City  water  rent  is  very  much  cheaper  than  the  cost  of  furnishing  running 
water  in  the  house  on  most  farms.  Light  is  cheaper  in  cities  unless  the 
farmer  uses  kerosene  lamps,  as  they  nearly  all  do.  High  school  education 
is  often  very  expensive  for  farm  children,  because  it  is  often  necessary  for 
the  children  to  leave  home  and  pay  board,  or  a  horse  may  have  to  be  kept 
for  the  children  to  drive  to  school  and  this  is  very  expensive  even  on  a 
farm.  The  fact  that  food  and  house  are  cheaper  on  the  farm  makes  the 
farm  most  attractive  for  persons  with  large  families  and  small  means, 
because  such  persons  spend  most  of  their  money  for  food.  The  children 
can  also  be  of  much  help  in  the  farm  work.  At  the  same  time  the  children 
not  only  receive  the  benefits  that  come  from  wholesome  labor,  but  also 
learn  much  about  plants  and  animals.  Persons  who  have  an  income  so 
large  that  food  is  not  the  chief  item  in  the  cost  of  living  are  likely  to  be 
disappointed  in  their  expectations  of  a  greatly  reduced  cost  of  living  on 
farms. 

A  farm  a  home  enterprise.  Farming  is  very  different  from  most  city 
occupations.  The  success  of  a  farm  is  dependent  on  the  entire  family. 
All  the  members  of  the  farm  family  take  some  part  in  the  farm  business. 
The  women  usually  help  by  taking  care  of  the  hens  and  in  some  of  the 
other  farm  work.  They  go  to  town  to  get  farm  supplies,  often  board  some 
of  the  hired  help,  and  usually  take  a  considerable  part  in  other  farm 
operations  at  times  of  unusual  pressure  of  farm  work.  They  often  direct 
the  farm  work  during  the  absence  of  the  head  of  the  family.  Children  on 
farms  [tactically  always  help  with  the  work.  There  are  many  things  that 
a  small  boy  can  do  as  well  as  a  man.  It  is  not  of  vital  importance  to  the 
family  whether  one  is  a  carpenter  or  a  mason,  but  when  one  decides  to  be 
a  farmer  the  family  must  be  consulted,  because  farming  is  a  family  occupa- 
tion. 


Some  Suggestions  for  City  Persons  Who  Desire  to  Farm     33 

One  of  the  primary  advantages  of  a  farm  is  its  value  as  a  place  to  bring 
up  children.  The  farm  provides  a  healthful  and  wholesome  life.  Chil- 
dren on  a  farm  learn  to  take  life  and  work  seriously.  They  have  the  best 
form  of  apprenticeship  by  working  with  their  parents.  The  reason  why 
farm  boys  get  along  so  well  in  cities  is  primarily  that  they  have  learned 
to  take  an  interest  in  their  work  and  have  learned  to  stick  to  it  even  if 
they  had  rather  not.  Children  who  have  grown  up  in  idleness  in  a  city 
do  not  often  take  kindly  to  the  discipline  of  farm  life.  The  family  that 
can  derive  much  of  its  pleasure  from  the  labor  on  the  farm  has  one  of  the 
most  important  qualifications  for  success  in  farming.  The  primary  ways 
of  overcoming  the  isolation  of  farm  life  are  to  derive  pleasure  from  work 
and  to  be  able  to  entertain  oneself  by  reading. 

The  many  other  advantages  of  farm  life  are  fully  discussed  in  the 
magazines.  The  purpose  of  this  circular  is  not  to  discuss  the  advantages 
or  disadvantages  of  being  a  farmer  but  to  give  some  cautions  to  those 
who  are  going  to  start  farming. 

First  learn  the  business.  There  are  several  reasons  why  one  may  wish 
to  buy  a  farm.  One  may  desire  to  live  on  a  farm  while  he  continues  his 
employment  in  the  city.  One  may  want-  a  farm  as  a  country  home.  Or 
one  may  desire  a  farm  as  a  place  on  which  to  make  a  living  —  that  is, 
a  real  farm. 

If  the  farm  is  to  be  a  home  only,  it  is  of  course  desirable  to  know  some- 
thing about  farming,  but  it  is  not  necessary  because  the  living  is  made  in 
some  other  business.  The  farm  is  not  expected  to  furnish  the  income, 
but,  if  the  aim  is  to  make  farming  a  business,  then  one  should  learn  the 
business  before  he  invests  money  in  it.  The  farm  boy  who  goes  to  town 
starts  in  at  the  bottom  and  serves  some  time  in  subordinate  positions 
before  he  enters  business  for  himself.  If  a  successful  farmer  should 
decide  that  he  desired  to  go  into  the  grocery  business,  he  should  begin  in 
a  subordinate  position  in  order  to  learn  the  business.  It  would  be  very 
unwise  for  him  to  start  by  buying  a  store  before  he  had  had  any  experience. 
It  is  even  more  unwise  for  one  who  has  never  farmed  to  buy  a  farm  before 
he  knows  anything  about  the  business.  The  way  to  gain  the  necessary 
experience  is  to  work  for  a  farmer  as  a  hired  man.  The  failure  to  appreciate 
the  necessity  of  an  apprenticeship  before  starting  farming  is  the  reason 
why  a  circular  such  as  this  is  needed.  If  prospective  farmers  were  willing 
to  learn  something  about  the  business  before  starting,  they  would  not  make 
the  many  errors  that  call  for  this  advice.  The  almost  universal  error  of 
the  city  man  is  over-confidence  in  his  ability,  and  lack  of  appreciation  of 
generations  of  farm  experience. 

Selecting  a  farm.  If  an  amateur  hopes  to  make  money  by  farming, 
he  should  go  where  the  present  farmers  are  prosperous.  The  cheap  farms 
are  a  great  attraction  to  many.  But  the  inexperienced  person  is  the  last 
one  who  should  buy  a  poor  soil.  His  lack  of  knowledge  will  be  handicap 
enough  without  the  addition  of  poor  soil.  When  land  sells  for  little,  it 
is  because  in  the  experience  of  the  farmers  of  the  region  there  is  little  or  no 
profit  in  farming  it.  ,  The  newcomer  who  laughs  at  the  present  farmers  in 
a  poor  region  and  thinks  that  they  could  do  well  if  they  would  only  follow 
his  advice  is  an  "  easy  mark  "  for  the  land  agent.  One  may  be  sure  that, 
if  the  land  is  good,  some  one  in  the  country  will  have  discovered  it.     Even 


34  Circular  No.  24 

in  the  poorest  community,  some  fanners  have  plenty  of  ability.  An 
absolute  proof  of  this  ability  is  the  facility  with  which  they  can  sell  a 
poor  farm  to  an  over-confident  prospector  for  several  times  its  value. 
By  all  means,  the  prospective  farmer  should  locate  on  a  good  farm  in  a 
prosperous  community.  His  chances  of  success  will  be  much  greater,  and 
if  he  fails  as  a  farmer  the  capital  in  the  farm  can  be  recovered  because 
such  a  farm  is  salable. 

It  requires  the  intelligence  and  skill  of  the  most  experienced  farmer  to 
make  a  profit  from  poor  soil.  It  is  just  such  soil  that  is  ordinarily  sold 
to  city  persons  and  to  persons  from  a  distance.  Good  land  sells  readily 
to  the  neighboring  farmers.  It  does  not  require  advertising  in  order  to 
make  it  sell.  The  poor  land  of  the  South  is  often  sold  to  Northerners. 
The  good  land  is  readily  salable  to  persons  who  know  it.  The  poor  land 
in  New  York  is  often  sold  to  men  from  the  West  and  to  men  from  the  cities. 
The  good  land  does  not  have  to  hunt  for  a  buyer. 

Land  values  for  many  miles  from  New  York  are  based  primarily  on  the 
home  value  rather  than  the  value  for  farming.  The  movement  for  country 
homes  has  made  much  of  the  land  double  in  price.  Such  land  is  some- 
times a  good  speculation  as  it  may  rise  in  price.  It  is  often  very  desirable 
for  those  who  wish  a  country  home  and  who  expect  to  continue  in  the 
city  occupation.  But  if  one  wishes  to  make  a  living  from  the  soil,  it  is 
much  safer  to  go  where  the  farmers  who  depend  entirely  on  the  farm 
are  making  good  profits. 

The  farm  should  have  buildings  that  are  sufficient  for  the  purchaser's 
needs.  Good  land  with  buildings  can  be  purchased  for  little  more  than 
new  buildings  would  cost.  But  the  buildings  without  good  soil  are  useless. 
The  prosperity  of  the  farm  depends  on  the  soil.  No  matter  how  good  the 
buildings  are  or  how  attractive  the  view  is,  if  the  soil  is  not  good  the  place 
is  certain  to  prove  a  disappointment  financially.  One  should  not  be  mis- 
led by  what  can  be  done  on  the  soil.  A  given  amount  of  outdoors  can 
be  made  a  good  soil  if  one  has  the  money  to  spend,  but  to  make  it  pay  is 
a  different  problem.     A  good  soil  is  one  that  nature  made  good. 

Large  crops  do  not  necessarily  pay.  The  beginner  nearly  always  over- 
estimates the  importance  of  large  returns  per  acre.  Economy  of  land  is 
usually  much  less  important  than  economy  of  labor  and  other  costs.  From 
cost  accounts  on  a  number  of  New  York  farms,  the  following  costs  per  acre 
were  shown: 


Rent  of  land 

of  man,  horse,  and  equipment  labor 
Other  costs 

Total  cost $68.61         $21.52         $11.71 

The  use  of  land  is  about  one  sixteenth  of  the  cost  of  growing  a  potato 

It  is  less  than  a  fifth  of  the  cost  of  the  oat  crop  and  a  third  of 

'if  a  hay  crop.     By  experience,  the  practical  farmer  has  learned 

win  n  nomize.     He  may  not  be  able  to  express  his  views  in  terms  of 

efficiency  engineering,  but  a  very  large  number  of  farmers  have  arrived 


Potatoes 

Oats 

Hay 

$4-42 

$4.09 

$3-78 

42.19 

11. 15 

4.49 

22  .00 

6.28 

3-44 

Some  Suggestions  for  City  Persons  Who  Desire  to  Farm     35 

at  the  correct  practice.  The  writer  is  never  favorably  impressed  by  the 
amateur's  large  yields  per  acre  unless  he  knows  the  cost.  The  way  to 
make  money  on  potatoes  is  to  have  the  cost  per  bushel  less  than  potatoes 
sell  for.  Fairly  good  crops  are  likely  to  be  a  help  in  reducing  the  cost  of 
production,  but  phenomenal  crops  are  likely  to  cost  too  much.  The 
amateur  is  likely  to  figure  how  many  cows  he  can  keep  on  an  acre  by  using 
the  soiling  system.  The  experienced  farmer  is  not  so  much  concerned 
with  the  cow  population  as  he  is  with  saving  the  labor  cost.  Economy 
in  the  use  of  labor  of  men  and  horses,  and  a  reduction  of  the  machinery 
cost,  are  more  important  by  far  than  is  economy  in  the  use  of  land.  When 
we  arrive  at  the  conditions  of  high-priced  land  and  cheap  labor  of  Europe, 
we  will  give  relatively  more  attention  to  the  saving  of  areas. 

There  are  some  profitable  farms  that  obtain  very  large  receipts  per 
acre;  these  are  usually  with  types  of  farming  in  which  the  expenditure 
per  acre  is  also  large. 

Correct  types  of  fanning.  One  who  has  traveled  much  is  likely  to  be 
impressed  by  what  is  done  in  some  other  State  and  may  want  to  try  it 
in  New  York.  He  sees  hogs  eating  corn  in  Iowa,  and  is  likely  to  think 
that  the  New  York  farmer  should  raise  as  many  as  does  the  Iowa  farmer. 
He  buys  an  expensive  steak,  and  concludes  that  beef  would  pay  every 
New  York  farmer.  Nearly  all  the  pasture  land  in  New  York  is  already 
in  use  producing  milk  or  raising  dairy  cattle.  New  York  farmers  have 
tried  practically  everything.  The  types  of  farming  that  have  survived 
are  the  ones  that  have  stood  the  test. 

Over-investment  in  buildings  and  machinery.  In  Livingston  county, 
the  investment  in  houses  represents  14  per  cent  of  the  total  capital  in  the 
farm  business,  including  real  estate  equipment,  live-stock  and  supplies. 
Certainly,  one  should  hesitate  to  build  a  new  home  that  represents  much 
over  a  fifth  of  the  capital.  The  house  may  be  said  to  be  a  personal  matter, 
but,  if  the  investment  goes  much  beyond  this,  it  is  too  valuable  a  house 
for  the  farm. 

The  average  cost  of  barns  per  cow  or  equivalent  in  other  animals  was 
$70  in  Livingston  county.  One  who  spends  over  $100  per  cow  should  be 
sure  that  he  is  right.  The  interest,  repairs,  taxes,  insurance  and  other 
costs  on  such  a  building  amount  to  about  8  to  10  per  cent.  The  above 
limit  would  make  an  annual  cost  of  $10  per  cow  for  barn  rent.  One  set 
of  barns  were  built  not  long  ago  which  were  intended  to  be  model  barns 
for  the  neighbors.  They  cost  $65,000  and  were  to  house  65  cows.  The 
barn  rent  per  cow  would  be  $100  a  year.  It  takes  a  good  cow  to  give 
$100  worth  of  milk  at  wholesale  prices.  There  are  many  such  examples 
in  this  State.  Nearly  all  the  so-called  model  barns  are  so  expensive  as 
to  be  impossible  on  a  business  farm.  Hen  houses  ought  not  to  cost  much 
over  $1  per  hen.  At  this  cost,  the  hen  must  lay  a  half  dozen  eggs  _  to 
pay  her  house  rent.  Many  of  the  big  poultry  farms  have  such  expensive 
buildings  that  the  plant  cannot  possibly  pay. 

The  danger  of  over-investment  in  machinery  is  even  greater,  for  there 
are  skilled  agents  whose  business  it  is  to  make  sales.  The  average  farm 
in  Livingston  county  has  an  investment  in  machinery  of  $6  per  acre  of 
crops.  Many  a  farm  of  an  amateur  has  ten  times  this  amount  The 
machinery  on  a  general  farm  ought  not  to  cost  over  $10  per  acre  of  crops. 
The  complete  cost  of  maintenance,  housing,  interest,  repairs,  and  deprecia- 


36  Circular  No.  24 

tion  'on  farm  machinery  amounts  to  about  25  per  cent  of  the  inventory- 
value.  A  $10  investment  per  acre  of  crops  represents  a  cost  of  about 
$2.50  per  acre  per  year. 

Raise  crops  first.  The  temptation  of  the  beginner  is  to  spend  his  first 
year  or  two  in  a  complete  revision  of  all  buildings  on  the  farm.  Such 
changes  nearly  always  cost  twice  the  estimated  amount.  Unless  one  has  a 
large  amount  of  money,  he  is  likely  to  find  that  when  he  gets  his  buildings 
ready  he  has  no  money  left  for  farming.  This  mistake  is  a  very  natural 
one  to  make,  because  in  cities,  buildings  in  themselves  are  often  a  business. 
But  on  a  farm  the  foundation  of  the  business  is  the  crops  grown.  The 
way  to  begin  farming  is  to  raise  crops.  If  one  cannot  make  a  profit  at 
this,  he  has  no  need  for  buildings.  It  is  better  to  put  off  the  desire  for 
changes  for  a  few  years.  One  will  then  know  better  what  he  wants.  He 
will  also  know  whether  he  desires  to  remain  on  the  farm.  Money  invested 
in  buildings  is  rarely  returned  when  one  sells. 

Learn  from  the  neighbors.  The  beginner  should  follow  the  practice 
of  the  best  farmers  of  the  region,  for  the  'first  few  years  at  least.  In  every 
community  there  are  farmers  who  understand  farming  as  well  as  the 
most  successful  railroad  president  understands  railroads.  The  newcomer 
with  his  theories  nearly  always  scorns  the  experience  of  the  generations 
of  farmers.  He  fails  to  realize  how  old  a  science  agriculture  is.  The 
words  of  Dr.  A.  D.  Hall,  formerly  Director  of  the  Rothamsted  Experiment 
Station,  show  the  modest  point  of  view  to  which  he  arrived  as  a  result 
of  his  many  years  of  scientific  investigation. 

"  .  .  .  Agriculture  is  the  oldest  and  most  widespread  art  the  world 
has  known,  the  application  of  scientific  method  to  it  is  very  much  an 
affair  of  the  day  before  yesterday.  Nor  can  we  see  our  way  to  any  radical 
acceleration  of  the  turnover  of  agricultural  operations  that  shall  be 
economical;  the  seasons  and  the  vital  processes  of  the  living  organism 
are  stubborn'  facts,  unshapable  as  yet  by  man  with  all  his  novel  powers." 
The  newcomer  fails  to  realize  that  in  every  prosperous  farming  com- 
munity there  are  farmers  with  minds  as  keen  as  any  industry  can  command. 
Manufacturing  enterprises  are  so  much  under  control  that  the  city  man 
comes  to  have  great  faith  that  by  the  aid  of  science  and  business  he  can 
do  what  he  wills.  The  farmer  who  has  spent  a  lifetime  trying  to  control 
the  stubborn  forces  of  nature  is  less  confident  of  the  powers  of  man  and 
science.  He  has  never  seen  two  seasons  exactly  alike.  His  plans  are 
every  day  subject  to  revision  by  the  weather.  He  may  be  excused  if  his 
plans  are  not  always  clear-cut. 

Many  public-spirited  men  of  wealth  desire  to  establish  farms  where, 
with  the  aid  of  college  graduates  as  managers,  they  can  show  farmers 
the  results  of  the  application  of  scientific  and  business  principles  to  farm- 
ing. There  are  already  examples  in  every  county  of  farms  that  are  demon- 
strating how  best  to  farm  under  the  circumstances.  Furthermore,  a 
demonstration  of  how  to  farm  with  unlimited  capital  is  of  little  value  to 
the  tenant  or  the  small  owner  whose  chief  problem  is  not  to  know  what 
it  would  pay  to  do,  but  to  know  what  to  do  with  his  limited  means.  The 
college  graduate  who  wants  to  demonstrate  how  to  farm  can  best  do  it 
by  starting  as  other  farmers  start  and  making  his  money  while  he  farms. 
The  newcomer  should  at  first  humbly  follow  the  example  of  the  best 
farmers.     Any  attempt  to  be  a  model  for  the  farmers  nearly  always  results 


Some  Suggestions  for  City  Persons  Who  Desire  to  Farm     37 

in  amusement  for  them  at  the  expense  of  the  newcomer.  After  one  has 
learned  how  to  farm  in  the  region,  he  may  cautiously  try  new  things  if 
he  has  not  by  this  time  learned  that  they  have  already  been  tried  and 
found  unprofitable. 

Starting  as  a  young  man  without  capital.  A  young  man  can  take  up  any 
kind  of  business  that  he  likes,  and  if  he  first  prepares  for  the  business  and 
then  works  hard  at  it  he  may  hope  for  success.  The  way  to  prepare  for 
farming  is  by  working  as  a  hired  man  on  a  farm.  Visiting  on  farms  does 
not  prepare  one  for  farming,  any  more  than  visiting  in  town  prepares  one 
to  be  a  banker.  There  is  no  way  to  learn  to  farm  except  by  farming. 
It  is  an  excellent  thing  for  city  boys  to  work  as  farm  laborers  during  the 
summer  vacation  while  they  are  in  high  school. 

It  pays  a  young  man  to  make  a  thorough  preparation  for  any  business 
before  he  goes  into  it.  Such  a  preparation  for  farming  includes  work  at 
an  agricultural  college  as  well  as  work  as  a  farm  hand.  Neither  one  can 
take  the  place  of  the  other.  The  work  on  a  farm  should  precede  the  college 
work.  It  is  a  serious  mistake  for  one  who  plans  to  farm  to  take  a  college 
course  in  agriculture  before  he  has  worked  on  a  farm.  There  are  many 
reasons  why  the  farm  work  should  come  first.  Not  until  one  has  worked 
on  a  farm  does  he  know  whether  or  not  he  wants  to  be  a  farmer.  Many 
young  men  are  quickly  cured  of  any  such  desire  as  soon  as  they  find  out 
what  farming  means.  The  sooner  such  men  find  this  out  the  better. 
Others  like  farming  better  than  they  expected  to.  It  is  a  great  mistake 
for  parents,  or  any  one  else,  to  try  to  make  farmers  out  of  young  men  who 
are  not  going  to  like  farming.  When  a  young  man  is  deciding  what  his  life 
work  is  to  be,  he  does  not  need  blinders. 

A  person  who  has  never  worked  on  a  farm  is  not  prepared  to  take  a 
college  course  in  agriculture.  He  will  gain  vastly  more  from  such  a  course 
after  he  has  had  farm  experience.  The  young  man  from  the  city  should 
spend  at  least  one  full  year  on  a  farm  before  he  takes  such  a  course.  Two 
years  would  be  very  much  better. 

Farmers  usually  hire  men  after  they  have  seen  them.  They  do  not 
ordinarily  hire  by  correspondence.  If  one  does  not  know  where  to  get 
work,  he  should  go  to  a  farming  community  and  start  out  in  the  country 
to  look  for  work.  He  will  usually  get  a  temporary  place  if  he  looks  as 
if  he  would  not  be  afraid  of  work.  At  first  an  inexperienced  city  boy  is 
rarely  worth  his  board.  As  he  learns  how  to  be  of  use,  and  as  it  becomes 
safe  to  trust  him  with  tools  or  stock,  he  will  be  worth  a  small  wage.  If 
one  works  well  he  will  usually  be  paid  all  he  is  worth  by  the  farmer  or  by 
some  neighbor  who  has  observed  his  work.  If  the  desire  to  farm  still 
persists  after  a  year  or  two  of  farm  work,  at  least  a  short  winter  course 
should  be  taken  at  an  agricultural  college.  If  possible  it  is  very  much 
better  to  take  a  regular  four-year  college  course  in  agriculture. 

Farming  for  middle-aged  persons.  A  decided  change  in  business  is 
always  a  hazardous  undertaking  for  any  but  young  men.  The  man  who 
knows  nothing  about  farming  and  who  has  a  family  to  support  should 
be  very  cautious  about  leaving  good  wages  in  a  city  and  going  to  farming. 
Such  changes  have  been  made  with  great  success,  but  there  have  also  been 
many  severe  disappointments. 

One  must  learn  the  business  .before -he  can  expect  success  in  any  occu- 
pation, and  in  any«business  it  is  rather  difficult  to  make  a  living  for  a  family 


38  Circular  No.  24 

while  learning.  Farming  is  manual  labor.  Very  few  persons  make 
a  success  of  farming  who  are  not  workers  as  well  as  managers,  and  these 
few  persons  nearly  always  come  up  through  the  labor  experience.  If  a 
middle-aged  person  has  never  learned  to  do  manual  labor,  such  a  change 
is  still  more  difficult.  If  the  members  of  such  a  family  are  very  sure  that 
they  desire  to  go  to  farming,  it  is  safer,  if  possible,  to  rent  a  small  place 
in  the  country  and  continue  with  the  city  occupation.  Some  chickens 
and  a  cow  can  be  kept,  and  a  garden  raised.  The  family  can  do  most  of 
this  work.  The  small  enterprises  can  be  increased,  and,  if  successful 
after  a  few  years,  it  may  be  safe  to  leave  the  city  work  and  go  to  farming. 

Another  safe  method  of  procedure  for  a  man  with  a  family  and  small 
means  is  to  put  his  money  in  a  savings  bank  and  hire  out  as  a  farm  hand 
for  at  least  a  year  before  any  of  the  money  is  invested  in  farming.  The 
amount  of  wages  received  will  not  be  very  large,  but  the  danger  of  losing 
the  entire  capital  through  premature  investment  may  be  avoided.  Until 
an  able-bodied  person  is  able  to  earn  good  farm  wages  for  some  one  else, 
he  is  certainly  not  ready  to  direct  a  farm  for  himself  —  no  more  so  than 
is  a  clerk  ready  to  run  a  grocery  store  before  he  can  earn  good  wages  as 
a  clerk  in  that  store. 

The  farm  as  a  home.  There  are  thousands  of  persons  who  live  on  farms 
and  who  continue  with  their  city  occupation.  Living  on  a  small  place 
enables  one  to  raise  milk,  vegetables,  eggs  and  fruit  for  home  use  and 
often  some  for  sale.  This  greatly  reduces  the  cost  of  living.  It  gives 
a  chance  to  provide  useful  and  wholesome  work  that  is  such  a  vital  part 
of  the  training  of  children.  One  of  the  greatest  helps  in  encouraging  this 
manner  of  living  is  the  locating  of  factories  in  small  villages  or  towns 
where  the  workers  can  get  out  to  the  land.  Trolley  lines  have  given 
a  great  stimulus  to  this  method  of  living.  In  the  last  ten  years  there 
has  been  a  great  increase  in  the  number  of  such  places.  Railroad  freight 
rates  and  freight  accommodations  have  often  been  unfavorable  for  the 
small  town.  This  has  been  one  of  the  chief  obstacles  to  a  still  greater 
extension  of  this  excellent  movement. 

Large  farms  and  corporation  farming.  Large  fortunes  are  usually  made 
cither  by  speculation  or  by  making  a  little  profit  from  each  of  a  large 
number  of  workers.  Many  large  fortunes  have  been  made  by  buying 
land  when  it  was  cheap  and  holding  it  until  it  became  expensive.  Other 
fortunes  have  been  made  by  dealing  in  farm  land.  But  straight  farming 
very  rarely  creates  even  small  fortunes.  Only  rarely  is  there  a  farm 
business  that  compares  in  size  with  large  manufacturing  plants.  There 
are  many  reasons  why  "  bonanza  farms  "  or  corporation  farms  do  not 
often  pay. 

The  factory  system  is  based  on  high-priced  supervision.  Most  of  the 
workers  have  only  a  few  things  to  learn,  and  they  are  under  close  super- 
vision. It  is  impossible  to  give  close  supervision  to  large  farming  enter- 
prises  because  the  workers  are  so  scattered.  For  general  farming,  40  to 
80  acres  of  crops  can  be  raised  per  worker.  The  number  of  men  that 
might  be  gathered  under  one  roof  under  the  supervision  of  one  super- 
intendent, would  in  farming  be  scattered  over  half  a  county. 

For  nearly  all  farm  operations,  it  is  necessary  that  each  worker  be 
intelligent  and  that  he  take  an  interest  in  the  work.  We  cannot  have  a 
boss  watching  the  man  on  a  mowing  machine.     If  some  one  has  to  watch 


Some  Suggestions  for  City  Persons  Who  Desire  to  Farm      39 

the  driver,  he  may  as  well  replace  the  driver  and  do  the  work  himself. 
There  are  a  few  operations  at  which  gangs  of  men  can  be  used,  but  there 
are  very  few  cases  in  which  a  farm  can  make  a  continued  use  of  a  gang 
of  men.  It  is  very  difficult  to  get  men  to  take  the  necessary  interest  in 
large  farms.  If  wages  are  high  enough  to  attract  men  who  will  take  an 
interest  without  close  supervision,  the  high  wages  take  all  the  profit. 

A  profit  of  10  to  20  per  cent  on  the  wages  of  each  worker  is  a  good 
profit  in  any  industry.  If  the  industry  employs  a  very  few  men,  the  profits 
will  be  small. 

The  expense  of  hauling  crops  and  manure  usually  makes  about  600 
acres  the  limit  to  run  from  one  center.  But  for  general  farming  this  area 
with  half  the  land  in  pasture  is  a  business  that,  measured  in  workers, 
corresponds  with  a  grocery  store  that  employs  two  or  three  clerks  and  one 
or  two  deliverymen. 

The  prices  of  farm  products  are  based  on  production  by  the  farm  family 
working  as  a  unit.  The  hired  help  is  usually  boarded  in  the  family  at 
much  less  than  it  costs  to  hire  it  boarded.  The  women  wash  the  milk 
pails,  care  for  the  chickens,  go  to  town  on  errands.  They  very  frequently 
take  the  place  of  a  man  at  these  light  operations,  and  also  very  frequently 
help  with  farm  work.  In  Delaware  county,  on  2 10  of  the  rather  large  dairy 
farms,  20  per  cent  of  the  milking  and  caring  for  cows  was  done  by  women 
and  children.  On  the  smaller  farms,  the  proportion  of  such  labor  is  much 
more.  All  this  labor  is  directly  interested.  When  men  are  hired  to  run 
large  farms,  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  produce  farm  products  at  the 
same  cost  at  which  they  are  produced  by  the  family-farm  system. 

More  conclusive  than  the  reasons  for  failure  are  the  results.  Literally 
hundreds  of  successful  business  men  scattered  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific  have  tried  running  large  farms  with  hired  managers.  Most  of 
these  men  have  demonstrated  their  ability  to  make  money  in  cities. 
The  writer  has  seen  many  such  farms  in  a  number  of  States,  but  has  not 
yet  seen  a  case  in  which  a  man  who  made  a  fortune  in  a  city  has  ever 
added  to  his  accumulations  by  running  a  large  farm  with  a  hired  manager. 
There  are  many  cases  in  which  the  live-stock  has  taken  premiums  innumer- 
able and  the  crop  yields  have  been  all  that  could  be  desired,  but  the  profits 
have  always  been  book  profits.  No  farm  is  a  success  that  does  not  pay 
all  expenses,  a  reasonable  rate  of  interest,  and  good  wages  to  the  operator, 
and  have  enough  money  to  provide  for  depreciation.  Many  college 
graduates  have  undertaken  the  management  of  such  farms.  Formerly 
the  writer  recommended  some  of  them  for  such  places,  but  so  far  the 
writer  has  never  seen  an  instance  when  such  a  farm  paid.  Yet  these 
same  college  graduates  have  by  the  hundreds  demonstrated  their  ability 
to  make  their  own  farms  pay.  Part  of  the  difficulty  is  the  erroneous 
attempt  to  apply  the  factory  system  to  farming  operations.  Part  of  the 
difficulty  is  that  the  successful  business  man  makes  a  fad  of  farming. 
He  has  too  many  theories  to  try  out. 

Most  of  the  big  farms  that  are  popularly  cited  as  examples  of  business 
organization  of  a  farm  have  a  monthly  check  come  out  from  the  city  to 
meet  the  pay  roll.  If  the  writer  were  free  to  give  the  names  of  some  of 
the  well-known  places  that  have  been  run  for  years  at  a  loss,  many  of 
which  have  been  written  up  as  great  successes,  the  list  would  contain 
many  surprises  for  the  reader. 


4Q 


Circular  No.  24 


Wealthy  men  who  start  farming  with  the  idea  of  showing  farmers  howj 
to  farm  often  end  by  finding  out  some  of  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  farm-j 
ing  and  joining  with  the  farmers  to  work  for  their  removal.  By  aiding  in 
cooperation,  in  marketing,  in  obtaining  railroad  accommodations,  and  in 
having  laws  passed  that  give  the  farmer  equal  rights,  such  men  have  done 
much  good.  Farmers  are  no  more  and  no  less  in  need  of  education  or 
uplifting  than  are  merchants,  bankers,  mechanics,  or  any  other  class  of 
our  population.  But  farmers  have  been  relatively  too  little  heard  inf 
legislative  halls. 

A  successful  business  man  may  derive  much  pleasure  from  a  country! 
place.  But  if  he  hopes  to  make  money  by  farming  with  a  hired  manager,  I 
he  had  best  profit  by  the  experience  of  others.  The  first  few  years  are  full  j 
of  hope,  for  then  all  expenses  can  be  charged  to  improvements,  but  there  i 
comes  a  time  when  the  constant  deficit  is  disconcerting. 

The  writer  is  well  aware  of  the  fact  that  some  large  corporations  are| 
making  money  in  farming  or  in  enterprises  closely  associated  with  farming. 
He  has  probably  visited  as  many  such  farms  as  has  any  one.^  There  are 
some  large  nurseries  and  seedhouses  and  other  large  enterprises  that'  are 
doing  well.  But  these  have  usually  grown  by  the  direct  management 
of  their  owners.  Often  several  generations  of  the  same  family  have 
developed  the  enterprise.  Such  enterprises  have  not  often  been  success- 
ful when  started  by  wealthy  men  from  the  city  who  depended  on  hired 
managers.  About  the  only  way  in  which  such  inexperienced  men  have 
often  made  successes  has  been  in  buying  land  and  holding  it  for  a  rise  in 
price. 

Even  the  large  farms  of  the  West  where  the  farming  is  of  the  simplest 
kind  are  rapidly  being  broken  up  or  rented.  In  order  to  manage  a  large 
tract  of  land  profitably,  it  is  necessary  to  have  several  centers,  and  the 
best  method  of  management  for  the  centers  is  to  give  the  man  a  share  in 
the  returns,  that  is,  rent  the  farm.  The  standard  system  of  giving  the 
worker  a  share  in  farm  returns  is  to  rent  him  the  place  for  a  share  of  the 
products. 

An  even  less  hopeful  kind  of  farming  is  the  corporation  that  sells  unit 
orchards  or  other  parcels  of  land,  when  the  buyer  has  nothing  to  do  with 
the  enterprise  except  to  move  onto  the  farm  sometime  in  the  future  when 
the  farm  has  been  made  to  order  and  is  to  be  producing  a  fine  revenue. 
Such  schemes  profit  from  selling  to  city  persons  only.  Farmers  rarely 
make  such  investments,  except  when  they  are  the  promoters.  Those  who 
understand  farming  know  better  than  to  make  such  investments. 


